Microchilus canaliculatus Ormerod 2009

TYPE Drawing by © Ormerod and The Epidendra Website

Common Name The Canaliculate Microchilus [refers to the 2 parallel ridges on the lip being close together.

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found only in Valle de Cauca department of Colombia in humid forests in moss at elevations around 1430 meters as a small sized, cool growing terrestrial with an erect, terete, laxly leafy stem carrying 7 to 9, obliquely elliptic, subacuminate, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the summer on a pubescent, 10 to 11.5" [25 to 28 cm] long overall, peduncle 10 to 11.5" [12.6 to 16 cm] long, rachis to 4 to 6" [10 to 15 cm] long, 7 or more sheathing bracts, subdensely to densely many flowered inflorescence with ts ovate-lanceolate, acute, paleaceous, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying externally pubescent, white flowers.

"This species appears to be related to Colombian congener Microchilus marulandae , but it differs from the latter in having flowers with a broader .12 to .136" versus .1" [3.0-3.4 vs. 2.5 mm] labellum epichile, with patent (not forward pointing) lobules, and a more slender (not stout) column." Ormerod 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 14(2): 121 Ormerod 2009

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 14(2): 119 f. 8 Ormerod 2009 drawing fide;

Orchids of the Department of Valle del Cauca Vol 1 Kolanowski & Szlachetko 2012 drawing ok;

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1: 332 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide;

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